Although his jewelry designs are highly innovative, Bittar's Brooklyn Heights apartment is purposely rooted in the past.

Alexis Bittar's Antique Oasis

Alexis Bittar's Antique Oasis

Thanks to his professor parents, who both taught American History, jewelry designer Alexis Bittar has been collecting antiques since he was a kid. “When they were getting their doctorate at NYU they would supplement their income by selling antiques, “ he says remembering attending auctions and picking through flea markets at a young age. “They would teach me why they were buying different things.”

Alexis Bittar sits next to a provocative Victorian painting of a woman in mourning."It's a bizarre piece. Her husband just died and she was like 'wait let me sit for this portrait right now.' What’s incredible about that painting, for me, is that she has see-through sleeves and she’s mourning."

Photography by Kelly Stuart for Hearst Digital. Produced by Amanda Frank.